Aeroplane



June 18 1935. H. A.DOUGLAS- 9 3 AEROPLANE r Original Filed 'March 5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 18 1935. H. A. DOUGLAS 7 AEROPLANE Original Filed March 5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nil Patented June 18, 1 935 f T UNITED: STATES" PATENT I orricej Harry A. Douglas Bronson, Mich.

Application March 5, 1930; Seria'lNo. 433,308 V Renewed December 2, 1931 3 Claims. (01. 244-21) My invention relates to aeroplanes and has for in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 its object the combination of parachutes thereof Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 5, but with that serve to retard their descent to a safe with the closures of the parachute container ilspeed in the event of incapacitation of the power lustrated in open adjustment, it being understood '5. plants thereof, Y I that the parachute is dislodged into supporting 5 .My invention, generally speaking; resides in the relation with the aeroplane. i of .a container or containers for the The aeroplane to which my invention is adaptpmchutes" which .are so positioned. and con able may be of any suitable or preferredcon structecltha't 'air may be directed thereinto to struction. I have illustrated a monoplanewhich 10'- dislodgethe parachutes therefrom and initiate is inclusive of a single wing l anda fuselage 2- 10 their inflation. Suitable'means are provided for which is assembled with the wing by suitabletru'ss normally holding the parachutes in their conconstruction familiar to those skilled in the art trainers. The means employed are preferably and generally illustrated at 3. The wing "I is closures for the containers which hold the paraequipped with the usual ailerons 4 which are conchutes in place and normally prevent the flow trolled from the cockpit 5 by suitable lever mech- 15 of air to the parachutes. In accordance with anismanot illustrated. The fuselage is equipped the preferred embodiment of the invention the with the suitable or usual horizontal and vertical aeroplane is equipped with one and preferably rudders 6. and i which are also governed-from two parachutes, each parachute being enclosed the cockpit. The internal'cornbustion engine or within a container which has opposite sides theremotor is disposed within the nose '8 of the fuse 20 of in the form' of lidsor closures that enable the lage,as is well understood by those familiarwith parachutes to bereadily .stored'within the conthe art, this motor being in driving. relation with tainrs and which, when open, furnish passage the propeller blades 9. The axis of the fuselage, for air throughthe containers and into the paraand the axis of rotation of the propeller blades 25. chuteawhereby the parachutesare dislodged and are substantially coincident; "The usual. landing 525 sufiiciently initially inflated to permit their in gear l0 isprovided-beneath the fuselage; flation to proceed to completion as the aeroplane V The wing is preferably "hollow, as indicated in descends. The containers are thus normally Figs. 3, 4 and 6,.there being suitable struts orsupclosed Wind chutes constructed and directed to porting ribs ll distributed along the wing and ar- IMY effect the desiredcontr-ol of the parachutes. The ranged transversely thereof to maintain the extecontainers arelpreferably component parts of an rior surfaces of the wing in substantially fixed aeroplane wing; The closuresof the containers relation. The wing, which is thus'made hollow, normally desirably constitute portions of the has added to it the aforesaid ailerons 4 and also upper and lower wing surfaces. The lower two parachute containers which, are disposed'beclosure of each container is preferably'hinged at tween the midportion of the wing and the aile- 3 its rear or trailing edge and the upper closure at rons. Each parachute container has its front its for-ward or leading edge 'and'lever mechawall l2 constituted of the back wall of the wing; him is provided for simultaneously opening these The rear wall iii of the container is sinuous in closures and disposing the same obliquely with form and constitutes the front wall portion of 4D respect to the axis of the aeroplane that is usually the hollow frame .memher l4. These hollow also the axis of the fuselage and propeller. frame members are joined with the body of the The invention will be more fully explained in wing by the side members it: which also provide connection with the accompanying drawings in the end walls of the parachute containers. The which Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating top walls 56 of the parachute containers conthe preferred embodiment of the invention with stitute lids or closures and the opposite and bot- 4 the parachutes in inflated adjustment to retard tom walls I! of said containers also constitute the descent of the aeroplane to a safe speed; Fig, closures. The upper closures l6 are hinged at 2 is a plan view of the aeroplane shown in Fig. 1 their front or leading edges, while the rear edges but with the parachutes boxed within their mm of the container closures H are hinged to the tainers, a rear portion of the fuselage being frame portions Hi. The parachutes l8 are norbroken away; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of mally stored in said containers in deflated adone of the wings taken in the region of one of the justment as illustrated clearly in Figs. 3, 4 and parachutecontainers, this figure being taken on 5. The closures I6 and H for said containers are, line 3-3 of Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a plan view, on a when closed, stream line continuations of the larger scale, of a part of the structure appearing wing and supplement the wing in its'functions. 55

When the aeroplane is in danger of descending too fast the closures for the parachute containers are opened. The lower closures I! are then inclined downwardly and forwardly and the upper closures 5 are inclined rearwardly and upwardly with the result that each pair of closures and the balance of the corresponding container constitute a wind chute to direct air in forceful currents through the interiors ofthe containers and into the parachutes. When said closures are thus adjusted'and under the assumption that the aeroplane is descending at a fair speed the parachutes will be lifted and initially inflated, the inflation 'of the parachutes being completed upon further descent of theaeroplane. The parachutes are attached to the wingby means of ropes l9. Some of these ropes are anchored to the front margin of the wing and the remainder in the region of; the rear margin of the wing. Each rope is desirably passed through an eye and is there after knotted to prevent its withdrawal. The eyelets are desirably received within sockets 2| that are carried upon frame portions [4 and'the front of the wing. When the parachutes are housed within their containers the closures l6 and I! are shut, leaving openings through which.

the opes l9 pass into connection with the eyelets 2,0. The container closures I 6 and I! are desirably simultaneously operated from the cockpit. To this end I provide an operating rod 22 which is accessible at the cockpit. This rod has its upper end connected with an arm 23 which is fixed upon a transverse horizontal shaft 24. This 28 are fixed upon the shaft 24, these latter arms .being betwe'en the bearings 25. .Each parachute container closure IT has an arm 28 individual thereto and connected therewith. Such connection is effected by means of links 29 which join the lower ends of the arms 28 with the forward or leading edges of these closures. When the closures are shut, the points of connection between the arms 26 and the links 21are below lines which include the places of connection of the closure 16 and links 21 and the axis of the shaft 24, whereby the closures I 6 are normally maintained shut. Springs 30 connect the bearings with the arms 26 to insure thisresult. The'lower closures I! are, by this means, also maintained normally shut.

When the closures are shut'they constitute, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, substantially smooth continuations of the upper and lower wing surfaces and therefore may be said to constitute supplemental portions of the wing. Changes may be made without departing from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with an aeroplane; a para chute attached thereto for checking its descent; a plurality of air chute defining members pivotally mounted on said aeroplane for releasably confining said parachute in a deflated condition; linkage mechanism for shifting said chute defining members in unison to an acute angle to the planing surface of said aeroplane to. cause air to discharge said parachute from said air chute in a rearward direction; said linkage mechanism embodying a toggle connection for preventing the accidental operation of said mechanism.

2. In combination with an aeroplane having a parachute attached thereto for checking its descent; a plurality of members pivotally mounted onthe trailing edge of a wing ofsaid aeroplane and defining a chute extending in the direction of flight of said aeroplane and adapted to releasably contain said parachute in a deflated condition; and linkage mechanism interconnectingsaid members for swinging said members in unison to an upwardly and rearwardly: inclined position to establish communication'betweenv the forward end of said chuteand the outer atmose' phere' beneath said wing, and between the rear end of said chute and the outer atmosphere above: said wing, whereby air will bedeflected through said chute in an upward and rearward direction to eject the parachute therefrom clear offisaid aeroplane horizontally. 3

-3. In combination with an aeroplane having'a parachute attached thereto for checking its descent; upperand lower members defining a com-. partment adapted-to contain said parachute, said:

upper member being pivotally mounted adjacent to the forward edge thereof to the upper surface of said wing and adapted when closed to. form acontinuationof said upper surface; and said lower member being pivotally mounted adjacent to the rear edge thereof to the lower surface of said wing and adapted when closed to form a continuation of said lower surface; a lever pivotally .mounted intermediate its ends on 'said wing; means for connecting one arm ofsaid lever to said upper member; means for connect-; ing the other arm of said lever to said lower member; means for rocking said lever to swing said upper member in an upward direction and said lower member in a downward direction to deflect air into said compartment to eject said parachute in .an upward and rearward direction; and means for yieldably opposing the movement of said member. 1

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

